DELHI

Delhi was where I grew up and went to school and college in the 1960s. I remembered boarding the DTU bus at Pusa Road , Number 6 to Secretriate (as the Central Secretariat was pronounced by the bus conductor) and switching buses to my high school. Later when I was in college, I remebered boarding the Number 46 bus to Munir ka, the last stop about 1 mile short of the college I attended. Over the years Delhi has changed tremendously. We were in Delhi from Jan 10-12, and again from Jan 13-16 and yet again from Jan 25-30. What was a sleepy town is now a bustling cosmopolitan city with the Delhi Metro standing out as a shining example of what mass transit promises. On the road, you see 3 lanes of traffic to be a full 6 to 7 lanes. Switching lanes, negotiating a right turn, or even merging into incoming traffic is something to behold. And where else can you see a pair of geese in the rear of a Maruti, or a full grown buffalo at the back of a truck, or 10+ people (no kidding) in an autorickshaw meant to hold a driver and 2 passengers. I saw very little evidence of road rage, even though there are several excuses to vent. Perhaps another decade of this hellish driving experience may embolden them. Besides the driver' throat is sometimes just an arms length away.

It is a little bit daunting to be on the road in India; however, the consolation is that speeds are not very high, EXCEPT on the highways. That this is dangerous can be seen in the number of maimed stray dogs that dot the urban landscape. Not many road kills.


Delhi's monuments are its pride and are a testimony to the various conquerors who invaded India since the 12th century. Purana Qila, Nizammuddin's Tomb, Safdarjang Monument, Qutab Minar and Lodhi Gardens are some. The tombs span over 7 centuries and leave a strong cultural imprint. The Muslim empires on the whole set the style for the British-- the last set of rulers-- on the importance of allowing at least cursory blending of the Hindu culture. The British who came in the late 18th century masterly adopted the divide and rule strategy to maximize their dominance. That they could rule India with a fleet of administrators who could fit into Yankee Stadium just shows what power of persuasion they must have possessed. Many decades later we were to learn that their hurried departures from their former colonies continue to fester in border disputes (India, Pakistan, China, Iraq, Sudan, et. al.)

The most beautifully done Muslim monuments are the remnants of the Lodhi dynasty from the 15th century which has been transformed to a lovely garden called Lodhi Gardens. It is a jogging place, beautiful scenery, parrots galore. And stray dogs. I was later to learn that these dogs are neutered and tranquilized and collared. Left is a picture of one of tombs with Rani in front. Any morning you can see the glitterati and literati and common folk walking, jogging in the absolutely breathtaking environment. French Premier Nicola Sarkozy was scheduled to come for a morning jog one day at the grounds but backed out because of jet lag (and perhaps missing his main squeeze, Carla Bruni. The newspapers voiced the complaints of unidentified security folks who were miffed to have secured the grounds at 4 am for the event, not to talk of the several morning walkers/joggers who were shepherded to other trails and paths.




My younger brother Vijay lives in the heart of Central Delhi, where the architecture of the house dates to Edwin Lutyen, with tall ceilings (with places on the top for manually operated fans for the brutal summers by Punkah Wallas). Lutyen went for the grand design and a large garden was part of that to be maintained by a retinue of servants of the Raj to host their grand parties. Of course today it requires a lot of oversight. Vijay had a number of get-togethers during the short time we were there.

Delhi winters can be cold but this season was exceptionally cold and the Lutyen-designed building only seemed to enhance the chill. Saurabh Srivastava my very good friend from the US was visiting at the same time. He had made a trip to Dehra Dun where he stayed with many of his relatives. His aging and sick Aunt chose that moment to pass away and he was taken by the experience.







We also had a couple of friends Amitava SenGupta from our High School in Delhi, and from IIT Delhi, Sam Anand and Vijay Mehra (Jan 16). It was a great night, the best fish I have ever tasted (Fish Patra) which is steamed with spices, rice in a banana leaf. As usual, my brother and Girija are great hosts and the treats kept on coming. Somebody had to call the dogs-- yes, there were two dalmations-- to relieve the humans from gratuitous gluttony. But oh.. the fish.




The last two days we saw the Republic Day parade and the Beating of the Retreat a ceremony that brings a curtain around the Republic Day celebrations. The pageantry is unmatched. Only India does it right. Camel brigades where the animals do not bend their neck while they march past. The regal horses that accompany the President to the dais; the various regiments. So colorful. But overall the parade was a disappointment.




The Beating of the Retreat was a different affair. Nicely done. The tableau on Vijay Chowk with Lutyen-designed Rashtrapathi Bhavan in the background is impressive . I was teary eyed and goosebumped when the band-- all 300+ of them-- played the evocative Indian tune सारे जहाँ से अच्छा हिंदुस्तान हमारा (My country, India, is the best in the whole wide world). I never thought much of the song when I was a kid when I remembered watching as a kid my father commanding a march past. But the moment seemed to bring all my emotions up front. The bagpipes added a sonorous, haunting quality to the ensemble. And the song resonated and faded as the band retreated up Raisina Hill to close the ceremony in gathering dusk; the sounds echoing off the massive sandstone structures. Two camels who could be seen in silhouette were standing with the same ramrod stiff neck in the symmetrical structures bordering Vijay Chowk. India does ceremonies right and I can well imagine why the British Empire saw India as very special. The stiff wind and cold added to the entire ambiance of the event. And of course as mentioned previously we had George Clooney in the crowd as the UN Special Ambassador for Peace. Nice work, if you can get it.


We made our way back along Rajpath back to my brother's abode and my mind was full of memories. Back in the late 1950s we lived not far from Rajpath at an Officers Mess -- since razed down. The entire house consisted of 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, 1 bathroom (1 bathroom??) and a "drawing" room, a total of perhaps 1500 sq.ft. The drawing room was where we gathered around a "Bush" short-wave radio listening to the exotic sounds of Radio Ceylon and Vividh Bharathi that played Bollywood songs then dominated by just two singers (Mohd. Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar). It housed 5 kids, my parents, our grandmother and our surly dog, Lassie. How we lived in that small space probably rates a story in itself. I was reminiscing about the walk along Rajpath and how we would steal jamuns- a grape-like fruit-- at great risk of life and limb if a mali (gardener) with his lathi (staff) spotted you. We could of course outrun him; however, his advantage was the surprise attack where he would descend from God knows where.

We were driving back to Vijay's Lutyen-designed house which has two armed guards, several helpers, and a house big enough to accommodate 10 times the house we had in the 1950s. The TV receives as many cable channels in the West, you can get on the Internet at two separate locations in the house. You can retire if you wish to a fully stocked bar at the back overlooking the well-appointed garden.


But the myriad sights and sounds-- chirping of so many birds, the smoky air Delhi assumes during twilight an intoxicating mixture of the smell of firewood and cool crisp air, kites constantly soaring above looking for their evening meal below, squawking of so many parrots, the eerie, piercing cry of the peacock in the rear garden and the occasional rhesus monkey bounding past-- reminded me more strongly of the Delhi of my youth.